Prejudice, Discrimination, and Segregation

Although discrimination and prejudice are words often used interchangeably, they slight differ in meaning. Prejudice is described as “a belief that is not based upon evidence but instead upon preconceived notions and stereotypes that are not subject to change even in the face of contrary evidence.” [if supportFields]><span style='mso-element:field-begin'></span>CITATION Fit17 \p 12 \l 1033 <span style='mso-element:field-separator'></span><[if supportFields]><span style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif] By comparison discrimination is defined as “discriminatory actions taken by individuals against members of a subordinate group.” [if supportFields]><span style='mso-element:field-begin'></span>CITATION Fit17 \p 12 \l 1033 <span style='mso-element:field-separator'></span><[if supportFields]><span style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif] So therefore, prejudice can be viewed as the belief system upon preconceived notions and stereotypes about specific groups are based on while discrimination is the actions that are taken against specific groups, often due to prejudices.

An example of present-day discrimination based on long-held prejudices that I found shocking was that of the sixty-two year court battle that ended on May 18, 2016 over school integration in Cleveland Mississippi. The fact that school segregation was still occurring less than two years ago shows how real discrimination still prevails in America. (Fitzgerald, 2017, p. 5)

Segregation, especially housing segregation, has been an issue in the United States that no longer gets the attention it should and therefore is not taken seriously as a main cause of urban poverty. William Julius Wilson argued that factors such as the decline of manufacturing, the suburbanization of employment and the rise of the low-wage sector increased the effects of segregation on urban poverty. [if supportFields]><span style='mso-element: field-begin'></span>CITATION Mas14 \p 379 \l 1033 <span style='mso-element: field-separator'></span><[if supportFields]><span style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif] As middle-class families leave the community it contributes to the effects of urban poverty by leaving the area lacking the necessary resources, institutions, and values that it needs to be successful. Thus, segregation perpetuates a process of socioeconomic stagnation for a vast majority of those residing in the ghettos.

Works Cited

Fitzgerald, K. J. (2017). Chapter 1: Taking Account of Race and Privilege. In K. J. Fitzgerald, Recognizing Race and Ethnicity: Power, Privilege, and Inequality. Boulder: Westview Press.

Massey, D. S., & Denton, N. A. (2014). American Apartheid: Segregation and the Making of the Underclass. In D. B. Grusky, Social Stratification: Class, Race, and Gender in Sociological Perspective (pp. 376 - 385). Boulder: Westview Press.

#sociology #prejudice #discrimination #segregation